Presser foot supporting and operating means for sewing machines and the like



Sept. 13, 1955 o. HESS 2,717,567

PRESSER FOOT SUPPORTING AND OPERATING MEANS FOR SEWING MACHINES AND THELIKE Filed Jan. 14, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 13, 1955 o. HESS2,717,567

PRESSER FOOT SUPPORTING AND OPERATING MEANS FOR sEwING MACHINES AND THELIKE Filed Jan. 14, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I 29.22 a

INVEHTDRZ Orro Hess United States Patent PRESSER FOOT SUPPORTING ANDOPERATING MIIIiiiXJNS FOR SEWING MACHINES AND THE L Otto Hess,Ludwigsburg, Wurttemberg, Germany Application January 14, 1953, SerialNo. 331,167

8 Claims. (Cl. 112-235) The present invention relates to sewing machinesand the like.

More particularly, the present invention relates to presser footsupports which are turnable to one side and which support the presserfoot for independent lateral turning movement.

Known devices of this type have several defects. With some of thesedevices the presser foot support can only be turned through a limited,insufficient distance to one side, and other devices of this typeinclude a universal joint which requires a special means which preventsundesired rnovement of the presser foot support but which very oftenprevents the sewing machine from operating in its normal manner.

One of the objects of the present invention is to overcome these defectsby providing a presser foot support which guarantees proper operation ofthe machine and at the same time permits easy swinging of the presserfoot through a substantial distance to one side.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means forraising a presser foot support of this type from its operating position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means forreleasably retaining the presser foot in its inoperative, raisedposition.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a means foradjusting the extent to which the presser foot is raised.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automaticmeans for releasably maintaining the presser foot support in itsoperative position, where the presser foot is not located to one side ofits operating position.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a meansfor limiting the lateral turning movement of the presser foot itselfabout a horizontal axis.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means foradjusting the extent to which the pressure foot itself is free to tiltlaterally about a horizontal axis.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists ofa presser foot supporting apparatus, for sewing machines and the like,which includes a frame supporting a shaft for movement about its axis,this shaft being substantially horizontal when in its operatingposition. An elongated rigid top member is fixed adjacent a rear endthereof to the shaft for turning movement therewith, and an elongatedbottom member is located alongside of the top member and is turnablyconnected thereto adjacent the rear end thereof for turning movementabout a second axis perpendicular to the shaft axis, this bottom memberis adapted to carry a presser foot.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of speice cificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view, partly in section, of an apparatusconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, of the structureof Fig. 1, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 in the direction of thearrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of part of the structure of Fig. 1illustrated in a position diiferent from that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a detail of the presentinvention taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2 in the direction of thearrows;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the details of the invention takenalong line 5-5 of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 6 and 7 are views taken in the direction of arrow A of Fig. 1illustrating different positions of the presser foot, respectively;

Fig. 8 is a partly sectional view corresponding to Figs. 6 and 7 of adifferent embodiment of the structure of Figs. 6 and 7;

Figs. 9 and 10 are partly sectional, fragmentary side views of adifferent embodiment of the invention and illustrating the structure indifferent positions thereof, respectively;

Figs. 11 and 12 are fragmentary sectional views respectivelyillustrating different positions of an embodiment of a detail of theinvention different from that shown in the above figures, these figuresbeing taken along line 11-11 of Fig. 10 in the direction of the arrows;and

Figs. 11a and 12a are detailed views respectively taken along lines 11aand 12a of Figs. 11 and 12, respectively.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 anelongated rigid top member 1 of a presser foot support which has locatedalong its underside a bottom presser foot carrying member 2 whichdirectly carries the presser foot 3. The member 1 is fixedly connectedto a shaft 4 in any suitable way as by having split end portions drawntogether about the shaft 4 by a screw member (Fig. 1). The shaft 4 ismounted for turning movement about its axis on the frame of the machine,as is shown most clearly in Fig. 2.

A stop member in the form of an angle piece 5 is connected to the bottommember 2 by a screw 7, the angle piece 5 having a top leg 8 adapted toextend over the top face of member 1 when the members 1 and 2 arecoextensive with each other (Fig. 4). A pivot pin 6 is turnably mountedin the member 1, as shown in Fig. 1, and has a loWer threaded endportion connected to the member 2 so that the latter may swing in aclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, about the axis of pivot pin 6laterally away from the member 1 so that the presser foot 3 may in thisway be moved to the side. Upon movement of member 2, and presser foot 3therewith, back to their operating position, the stop member 5 engagesthe member 1, in the manner most clearly shown in Fig. 4, to limit theturning movement of member 2 with respect to member 1 and to properlylocate members 1 and 2 with respect to each other.

An elongated pin 9 is slidably mounted in a bore 10, of member 1, whichextends along the length of the latter and opens onto the front end facethereof. A spring 11 is located in the bore 19 and engages the pin 9 tourge the latter forwardly and outwardly of the bore 10. The front endportion of member 2 is formed with an upwardly extending, integralprojection 13 located opposite the front end face of member 1 and formedwith a recess 12 located opposite the bore It) to receive the free endof pin 9 so that the latter, under the influence of spring 11,releasably holds the members 1 and 2 in their operating position wherethey are coextensive with each other. A finger piece 14 is threadedlyconnected to the pin 9 and extends laterally therefrom through anelongated slot 15 formed in the member 1 and Communicating with the bore1% thereof so that the operator may grasp the finger piece 14 and movethe latter, and pin 9 therewith, rearwardly against the action of spring11 so as to release the member 2 which then may be moved together withpresser foot 3 laterally away from its operating position.

' It will be seen that the finger piece 14 engages the member 1 at thefront end of slot 15 so that the pin 9 extends at a predetermineddistance beyond member 1 when the pin 9 is released to the action ofspring 11. This predetermined distance is small enough to permitextension 13 of member 2 to automatically move member 9 rearwardlyagainst the action of spring 11 when member 2 is returned to itsoperation position, so that the spring 11 automatically moves the frontend of member 9 into the recess 12 when member 2 is returned to itsoperating position. Thus, the finger piece 14 need only be used whenmember 2 is moved away from its operating position, although in thiscase also the member 2, if moved with a large enough force, willautomatically force pin 9 to the rear to release the member 2.

A lifting means is provided to raise the presser foot support 1, 2 andthe presser foot 3 therewith upwardly from the operating position to theinoperative position shown in Fig. 1 against the action of spring 11:,which engages the member 1 to urge the latter and members 2 and 3therewith downwardly to their operating position, the shaft 4 turningabout its axis during movement of the presser foot support 1, 2 to andfrom its operating position. This lifting means takes the form of alifting lever 16 which is mounted on a part of the frame through whichshaft 4 extends for movement about the axis of shaft 4, as is clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lever 16 being actuated to raise the presserfoot support 1, 2 upon a downward pull of the cord or wire shown at theleft of Figs. 1 and 3, and the lever 16 turning in a counterclockwisedirection about the axis of shaft 4, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, duringraising of presser foot support 1, 2.

The lever 16 has a rearwardly extending arm to which the actuating cordor wire is connected and a forwardly extending arm which extends beneathand engages an integral, lateral extension 111 of member 1 so thatupward movement of the forward arm of lever 16 raises the presser footsupport 1, 2. The free end of the forward arm of lever 16 extends into arecess of the frame of the machine in which the spring 18 is located,this spring 18 engaging this forward free end of lever 16 to urge thelatter in a clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 4 to theposition where the presser foot support 1, 2 is located in its operatingposition, and it will be seen that projection 1b cooperates with lever16 to limit clockwise movement of presser foot 3 about the axis of shaft4, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3.

The lever 16 is provided With a top catch portion 19 adapted tocooperate with the catch 20 of a pawl member 22 turnable about the pivotpin 21 which is fixed to the frame. A spring 23 engages the frame andpawl 22, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to urge the pawl 22 in acounterclockwise direction about pivot pin 21. Also, the pawl 22includes a finger piece 24. When the lever 16 is turned in acounterclockwise direction about the axis of shaft 4 to raise thepresser foot 3 to its inoperative position, the finger piece 24 is movedforwardly by the operator to locate the catch 20 opposite catch 19 sothat upon release of lever 16 the springs 18 and 1a will be unable tolower the presser foot support 1, 2 to its operation position, the partsthen being in the inoperative position illustrated in Fig. 1.

In order to release the presser foot support for movement back to itsoperating position, the finger piece 24 may be moved rearwardly todisengage catch 20 from catch 19, as shown in Fig. 3, or the lever 16may be turned slightly in a counterclockwise direction about the axis ofshaft 4, as viewed in Fig. 1, against the action of springs 18 and 1a,so that spring 23 will automatically move the pawl 22 from the positionof Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 3, and then the lever 16 may be released sothat the presser foot support will automatically assume its operatingposition. In this way, the bottom part 25 of presser foot 3 is moveddownwardly from the inoperative position thereof shown in Fig. l.

The presser foot is pivotally connected to the front end portion ofbottom member 2 for turning movement about an axis parallel to thelength of the latter by a pivot pin 26 which threadedly engages themember 2, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5. Thus, the presser footitself is independently turnable about a substantially horizontal axisso as to automatically adapt itself to the work. The forward end portion13 of bottom member 2 is provided with a pair of forwardly extending,integral projections 27 (Fig. 5) which are located on opposite sides ofpivot 26 and between which the presser foot 3 is located with sufficientclearance to provide the desired turning of the press er foot about theaxis of pivot 26 (Figs. 6 and 7). The presser foot engages theseprojections 27 so that the latter limit the extent to which the presserfoot may turn in opposite directions about the axis of pivot 26.

Figs. 8-12 show some possible variations in the construction of featuresof the invention described above and shown in Figs. l7. Those partsillustrated in Figs. 8-12 which are identical with those of Figs. l7 areindicated by the same reference characters, while those partsillustrated in Figs. 8-12 which correspond to parts shown in Figs. l-7but are of a different construction are indicated by primed referencecharacters of these corresponding parts.

in the embodiment of Figs. 9 and 10, the front end 13 of member 2' isformed with a conical bore 12 into which the front conical end of pin 9'extends so as to provide a more positive interconnection between topmember 1 and bottom member 2'. Thus, the embodiment of Figs. 9 and 10will provide a positive interconnection between members 1 and 2', but onthe other hand it is necessary to move the finger piece 14 whenever themember 2 is moved to or from its operating position.

Intead of a projection 1b, the embodiments of Figs. 8-12 includes ascrew member 29 threadedly engaging and passing transversely through thetop member 1' (Figs. 11 and 12), and this elongated member 29, which isturnable about its axis, carries a free end portion 30 extending beyondmember 1 and being eccentric to the axis of member 29 so that turning ofthe latter regulates the elevation of end portion 30. The lifting lever16 has a forward arm extending beneath part fit? of member 29 and isturnably mounted on a pivot 17 fixed to the frame, rather than beingturnable about the axis of shaft 4 as in the embodiment of Figs. l7. Thelever 16' has a front free end engaged by spring 18 in the same way asdescribed above and is also provided with a catch portion 19 adapted tocooperate with the catch 20' of pawl 22' to hold the lever 16' in theinoperative position, shown in Fig. 10, where the floor 25 of presserfoot 3 is raised from the operating position thereof illustrated in Fig.9.

The pawl 22' is turnable about the pivot 21, which is fixed to theframe, for movement from the position of Fig. 9 to that of Fig. 10, aWire spring 23' engaging a stationary pin fixed to the frame, extendingabout pin 21, and engaging pawl 22 to urge the latter to the positionshown in Fig. 9. When the lifting lever 16 is turned from the positionof Fig. 9 to that of Fig. 10 against the action of spring 18, theforward arm of lever 16 engages part of member 29 (Fig. 12) to raise thepresser foot support 1', 2' from its operating position to theinoperative position shown in Fig. 10.

With the parts in this position the operator turns the pawl 22 to theposition of Fig. 10 where the catches 19 and 20 engage each other, andit will be seen that catch 19' is located directly over the axis ofpivot 21' so that the spring 18 urges catch 19 downwardly against thepawl 22 and prevents the latter from being turned back to the positionof Fig. 9 by spring 23. Thus, the parts are maintained in theinoperative position of Fig. 10.

In order to move the parts back to their operative position, theoperator may either manually turn the pawl member 22 from the positionof Fig. 10 toward that of Fig. 9 to release lever 16 to the action ofspring 18 so that spring in will return the presser foot 3 to itsoperating position, or the lever 16 need only be turned slightly againstthe action of springs 18 and 1a in a counterclockwise direction aboutthe axis of pivot 17 to release pawl 22' to the action of spring 23, andthen the lever 16' may be released to the influence of spring 18 so thatspring 1a will return the presser foot to the operating position of Fig.9. It is evident that with this embodiment of the invention the member29 may be turned to adjust the elevation of part 30 thereof so as toregulate the extent to which the presser foot 3 is raised to itsinoperative position.

Fig. 8 illustrates a further embodiment of a means for limiting theturning of presser foot 3 about the axis of pivot 26 so that the extentof turning of the presser foot may be adjusted. As is shown in Fig. 8, alateral projection at the front end of bottom member 2 or 2 threadedlycarries a pair of screw members 28 which are located respectively aboveand below the turning axis of pivot 26. Thus, the screw members 28 maybe turned to adjustably limit the turning of presser foot 3 in oppositedirections about the axis of pivot 26.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofpresser foot supporting means for sewing machines and the like differingfrom the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in presser footsupporting and operating means for sewing machines and the like, it isnot intended to be limited to the details shown, since variousmodifications and structural changes may be made without departing inany way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith, said top member being formed with an elongated bore openingonto a front end of said top member opposite from said rear end thereof;an elongated bottom member located alongside of said top member andbeing turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear end thereof formovement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaft axis, saidbottom member being adapted to carry a presser foot and having an endportion located next to said front end of said top member and formedwith a cutout facing said front end of said top member and said borethereof; an elongated pin slidably mounted in said bore of said topmember for movement into and out of said cutout of said bottom memberfor releasably connecting said top and bottom members to each other toreleasably restrain said bottom member against turning movement withrespect to said top member about said second axis; and a spring locatedin said bore of said top member and engaging said pin to urge the sameoutwardly of said bore into said cutout of said bottom member.

2. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith, said top member being formed with an elongated bore openingonto a front end of said top member opposite from said rear end thereofand said top member being formed with an elongated slot extending alongthe length thereof and communicating with said bore; an elongated bottommember located alongside of said top member and being turnably connectedthereto adjacent said rear thereof for movement about a second axisperpendicular to said shaft axis, said bottom member being adapted tocarry a presser foot and having an end portion located next to saidfront end of said top member and formed with a cutout facing said frontend of said top member and said bore thereof; an elongated pin slidablymounted in said bore of said top member for movement into and out ofsaid cutout of said bottom member for releasably connecting said top andbottom members to each other to releasably restrain said bottom memberagainst turning movement with respect to said top member about saidsecond axis; a finger piece fixed to said pin and extending through andbeyond said slot; and a spring located in said bore of said top memberand engaging said pin to urge the same outwardly of said bore into saidcutout of said bottom member, said finger piece engaging said top memberat the forward end of said slot to limit movement of said pin outwardlyof said bore and into said cutout of said bottom member.

3. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis, said bottom member being adapted to carry a presser foot; and anangle member fixed to said bottom member and having a leg extending oversaid top member to limit turning movement of said bottom member aboutsaid second axis in one direction with respect to said top member.

4. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis, said bottom member being adapted to carry a presser foot; and astop member fixed to said bottom member and engaging a side of said topmember to limit turning movement of said bottom member about said secondaxis in one direction with respect to said top member.

5. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis,

said bottom member being adapted to carry a presser foot; a projectionfixed to and extending laterally from said top member; lifting meansengaging the underside of said projection to raise said top member andbottom member therewith; and releasable pawl means mounted on said frameand engaging said lifting means to releasably maintain the same in aposition where said top and bottom members are raised to an inoperativeposition by said lifting means.

6. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis,

said bottom member having a free front end portion; a

pair of projections fixed to opposite sides of said front end portion ofsaid bottom member, respectively, and extending forwardly therefrom; anda presser foot turnably connected to said front end of said bottommember be tween said projections for turning movement about an axissubstantially parallel to the length of said bottom membensaidprojections engaging said presser foot to limit the turning movementthereof.

7. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis, said bottom member having a free front end portion; a pair ofprojections fixed to opposite sides of said front end portion of saidbottom member, respectively, and extending forwardly therefrom; and apresser foot turnably connected to said front end of said bottom memberbetween said projections for turning movement about an axissubstantially parallel to the length of said bottom member, saidprojections engaging said presser foot to limit the turning movementthereof and being integral with said bottom member.

8. Presser foot supporting apparatus for sewing machines and the like,comprising, in combination, a frame; a shaft mounted for turningmovement about its axis on said frame, said shaft being substantiallyhorizontal when in its operating position; an elongated rigid top memberfixed adjacent a rear end thereof to said shaft for turning movementtherewith; an elongated bottom member located alongside of said topmember and being turnably connected thereto adjacent said rear endthereof for movement about a second axis perpendicular to said shaftaxis, said bottom member having a free front end portion; a projectionfixed to a side of said front end portion and extending forwardlytherefrom; a presser foot turnably connected to said front end of saidbottom member at one side of said projection for turning movement aboutan axis substantially parallel to the length of said bottom member; anda pair of screw members threadedly connected to said projection andrespectively being located above and below said turning axis of saidpresser foot to adjustably limit the turning thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

